This day Nareen grabbed a large brush after breakfast and went outside to the garden to do some work.
"Now look at this! There's leaves everywhere, and just because Eph forgot to close the window before she went out!" she mumbled to herself while trying to clean up.
It struck her as odd that there was a garden in a study but she didn't think much of it.
The first makeshift garden... Those mushrooms on bases are from our tabletop wargame equipment where they serve as fungi forests!
Something moved beneath the dry leaves. The necromancer carefully brushed some leaves aside and a small animal scuttled out of the heap. Nareen jumped up and yelled: "Eternia! Come look at this! Here's some... some critter!"
What these dolls make me do... This was about the first time in my life I actually went to a store and bought seasonal deco!
Eternia came running to see what was going on. When she noticed the small garden dweller she smiled and sat down.
"Aw. Nareen, calm down. It's just a hedgehog."
"A what?"
"A hedgehog. It eats insects and hibernates in winter. Have you never seen one?"
"No, those don't exist in Yonar. And we didn't have real winter anyway."
"Oh dear, look how thin it is! It will never make it through winter like this!" The blonde said worried when she took the animal on her lap. For some reason the hedgehog didn't seem afraid of her. "It's still almost a baby! We have to take it in and feed it until spring."
"What, another pet?" Nareen wasn't thrilled.
"Ah, please. You don't mind, Nareen, do you?" Eternia almost pleaded. She seemed to be very fond of this critter.
"Well... At closer thought you're the only one who doesn't have a pet. Giselda has Akshi, Akshi and me have Pete. It would be rude not to allow you to keep this, huh. Besides, Giselda would be peeved if she got wind of me letting an animal starve."
"Ha ha. Thank you! Let's go inside!"
"Wow! He sure has quite a stomach for such a small critter!" exclaimed Nareen as she watched Eternia feed the little hedgehog.
Eternia grinned. "Yeah, that's his second bottle. Good thing Giselda brought so many kitchen things with her. A beastmaster like her must have experience raising orphaned animals."
"I'm sure she can help you raise little... little... what's his name, anyway?"
"Hm, let's see. I think I'll call him... Ozzy."
"Alright. And here is a bed for little Ozzy so he has a warm place to stay."
"Let me guess... The pet bed is from Giselda but you chose the cushion." Eternia guessed.
"That's right. Why?" asked Nareen with an innocent look on her face.
"Oh, I just think I get the gist of your interior design preferences."
"He he." The necromancer laughed. "Oh, did you hear that? Giselda calls us for supper!"
"Let's go!"
"Hey guys! Care to test my cookies?" Giselda was in a superb mood, running back and forth with baking trays full of sweet cookies. "Akshi gets the special cookie, of course!" The small wingling enjoyed baking sweets like nothing else.
"Eeeeeks!" Eternia's voice was shrill. "Now I'm dead and gone to heaven! I thought nothing could beat the fantastic rice we just had!"
"Hooray! Giselda's our hero!" cheered Nareen.
Dolltopia Archive 08 <-- # --> Dolltopia Archive 10